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Have you ever wondered about the "real" stories surrounding the Hotel Del Coronado? Together, we will explore the 1889 Ice House Museum and discover the behind-the-scenes history of the Del, along with its world-famous dining, recreation, and legendary guests. The Museum is also where these history walk tours begin, featuring artifacts, memorabilia, and more. You will learn about the Del's rich heritage through an in-depth, docent-led walking tour of the Victorian building and gardens. This will be a 90-minute tour with little opportunity for seating.
Outcomes: Learn about the "real" stories surrounding the Hotel Del Coronado.
Format: 100% activity driven
By delving into some of the hottest controversies on the Supreme Court's docket for the 2022-2023 term, gain a sophisticated sense of the Court's role in our governmental system and the kinds of cases it typically takes on. Observe the play-by-play of arguments on appeal, deconstruct the actual briefs filed, and get a sample of the questioning at oral argument. See firsthand how lower courts, advocate lawyers, and amici ("friends of the court") shape the Court’s perception of social/economic/political issues as they become "legal" issues.
Outcomes: Analyze and discuss current events within the context of Supreme Court.
Format: 70% Lecture, 30% Discussion
This course will explore current events with a focus on constitutional law at the Supreme Court and in other corridors of power. Largely driven by what’s “hot” in the news when the course is taught (and responsive to issues that class members wish to focus on), this course will dig beneath the surface perspectives presented by the media and pundits. We’ll focus on legal doctrines and tradeoffs behind these controversies. For example, assuming that the Court continues to take cases about vaccine and mask mandates, the course would focus in-depth on the legal issues about personal liberty and religious freedom that underlie these controversies.
Outcome: Analyze and discuss current news events within the context of legal doctrines and precedents.
Format: 80% Lecture, 20% Q&A / group problem-solving
Do global challenges and foreign policy matter as we approach U.S. Congressional and other elections? This fall, they may matter more than ever. Russia-Ukraine crises can dramatically affect gas prices, and COVID-19 variants can abruptly change immigration policy. Join us in sorting through these challenges under the guidance of a retired U.S. diplomat, with insights based on 29 years of negotiating complex issues with dozens of allies and adversaries. We will focus on analyses and trends based on student interests and provide informational resources to understand even more.
Outcomes: Increased knowledge of the sources, design, goals, and implications of major issues in U.S. foreign policy. Refined and augmented analytic abilities, especially on relationships between U.S. domestic and foreign policy. Improved public speaking skills through class discussion and participation. Exposure to foreign policy research resources, including government, think tanks, and other data, studies, and reference materials.
Format: 60% Lecture, 40% Q&A
Jewish civil law is not simply a system historically developed by Jews, but an inherently Jewish institution that reflects and promotes a set of values that is uniquely Jewish—and historically remarkable and revolutionary. We will learn about six primary Jewish values from their conception in Hebrew Scripture through their development in the teachings of the sages and into the practical application of Jewish civil legislation.
Outcomes: Learn the purpose of the law. Question if repentance has a role in the legal system, or is it strictly a personal matter. Compare ownership as a legal status or an ontological reality. Recognize if humans by nature are essentially good or bad.
Format: 70% Lecture 10% Discussion 20% Q&A
Was prophecy unique to the Hebrew prophets? Was there prophecy in Egypt and Mesopotamia? Were the prophets foretelling what was going to happen, or did they merely lay out the possible consequences of the people’s actions? We will examine these questions and explore the implications of the answers.
Outcomes: Understand prophecy in general and the specific prophets of the Hebrew Bible.
Format: 60% Lecture, 40% Q&A
Does life exist beyond the Earth? Will we ever find it? What could it look like? Answers to these questions might be within reach in the next couple of decades. The scientific search for extraterrestrial life – astrobiology – has evolved dramatically since its earliest days. Along the way, the exploration process has forced us to re-examine our assumptions about life itself. We’ll talk about the extreme ranges of life on Earth and how those discoveries help NASA and its science partners explore our solar system and our galaxy. While we may not shake hands with aliens any time soon, we have realistic expectations of finding smaller lifeforms that could alter our ideas about the universe just as profoundly.
Outcomes: Students will gain an understanding of: The range of extreme life forms in our only current laboratory – the Earth. Current thinking about the wide range of properties that could define life elsewhere. New science tools and missions that will try to find evidence of extraterrestrial life.
Format: 90% Lecture, 10% Discussion
Steve Murray has been a life-long astronomy and space enthusiast. His past careers have included research engineering, college teaching, and aviation. Currently, he’s a freelance science writer and NASA Solar System Ambassador, where he provides STEM presentations to community groups. Click for more information.
How does a wasp drag a tarantula three times its size to its burrow? Why does a lizard do "push-ups"? Are you able to identify the den of a woodrat, the tracks of native animals, and other signs of wildlife? Which native flora and fauna are unsafe, and which are beneficial? What should you do if confronted by a rattlesnake? Discover the answers to these questions and more about what lives in our big backyard as we take a gentle hike at Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP). This is a 2-part class. 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. will be an online presentation on the fascinating wildlife you might see during the 1-2 p.m. hike.
Outcomes: Identification of at least 5 plants in MTRP. Identification of a woodrat den. Identification of at least 3 beneficial animals. How to defend/protect oneself in the wild.
Format: 65% Lecture & Q&A, 35% Activity
Outcomes: -Gain a better understanding of the conditions and effects of war through these first-hand accounts by young Aztec students who answered the call of their country to give all they could to make the world a better place. -Discover the power of empathy through the actions of Dr. Post, the SDSU geography professor who took it upon himself to support these students not only by communicating with them himself but by keeping them in touch with each other through the distribution of the Aztec Newsletter. -We can’t bring these people back or change what happened, but through these personal communications, we gain a more intimate understanding of what they went through for their families, their communities, their country, and all of us. This local microcosm of the war represents more than some names on a wall – these are real people, and you get to “meet” them.
Format: 10% Lecture, 40% Demonstration 50% Activity
Where does the trope of the Femme Fatale come from? Is she shorthand for something? In this course, we’ll look at the trope of the Femme Fatale in the Film Noir genre, as well as the role exotic locales play in those films. Join us for a romp from Casablanca to Shanghai. We'll meet war brides and dip into the back alleys of San Francisco, one of America's most exotic cities. We’ll also catch up with the Femme Fatale and see what role she plays in today’s stories.
OUTCOMES: Understand the femme fatale trope. * Explore how the femme fatale might shape US attitudes towards women and immigration. * Identify the codes of film noir.
Format: 33% lecture 33% screening and 33% discussion